For people planning for 2026, the new year can be less about sweeping changes and more about tightening money routines so they can survive real-world expenses. Erica Grundza, a certified financial planner at Betterment, said New Year’s is “a really good time to review and realign your financial goals overall,” as people think about savings, paying down credit card debt and other long-term priorities.
Grundza told The Associated Press that when people build their goals for 2026, she encourages them to focus less on the past and more on “an optimistic, yet realistic, vision for the future.” She also recommended that people reestablish the “why” behind their approach to money—framing that can be as simple as setting a small weekly savings amount in a savings account or as large as saving to buy a house in the coming years.
MarieYolaine Toms, a coach and founder of Focused Fire, said her approach is designed to prevent resolutions from turning into unattainable targets. Toms said she uses what she called a “no resolutions” mindset and instead creates an actionable plan. In her words: “What I say every year is that I am not making resolutions, I’m making plans that can be tracked forward, traced back, and tweaked until completion.”
Toms also pointed people toward concrete first steps, including checking credit reports with the three credit bureaus and then using the information in those reports to make an attainable plan that can start a savings account. She also offered an example of adding $25 each week to savings as a starting point. She said that whether someone is trying to pay off debt or save for a trip abroad, creating a budget is the first step, and she suggested using a budgeting method that fits the person.
For Rachel Pelovitz, 33, the push toward a new plan for 2026 came after she lost her job as a magazine editor in September and after her husband had been unemployed for a year and a half. Pelovitz said she acquired a significant amount of debt during those years and that she and her husband explored options to pay it down. Ultimately, the couple chose to sell their house and work with a debt consolidation organization, and Pelovitz said, “Rather than rely on getting more debt, we are currently selling our house.” Her goal for 2026 is to pay off half of her credit card debt, and she said she also plans to start investing moderately with some of the proceeds from the house sale.
Jenni Lee, 27, said she is planning to be more strict about building her savings account in 2026 after overspending during the past six months. Lee, a tech worker and lifestyle TikTok creator based in Chicago, said her long-term goal includes buying a house and that the plan requires cutting back on spending on clothing items and eating out. She described the idea as adjusting spending “so it won’t hurt later when I finally decide to purchase and own a place,” and she said she is also considering a possible trip to South Korea as part of her savings goals.
Lee said she has recognized the way microtrends promoted on social media can affect shopping decisions, which can contribute to overspending. She said she is looking to set those influences aside as she saves for future goals, tying short-term spending decisions to what she wants later.
Melanie Duarte, 23 and a Worcester resident, described her New Year money goals as building multiple parts of a financial plan at once—paying off student loans and credit card debt while building an emergency fund. Duarte said she included the emergency fund in her budget even if the amount is small, adding, “I made sure to include it in my budget, even if it’s something as small as like $50. I just want to make sure I still put something in (my emergency fund) so that it eventually multiplies.”
Duarte said her family did not openly discuss finances when she was growing up, and she said that since opening her marketing agency, she has been working on changing her relationship with money. She also framed the practice as a habit-building process, describing her plan to create better routines while she saves.
Tiana Stewart, 26 and a Maryland resident, said she is balancing saving and debt payoff with still enjoying her money. After the death of her grandfather a few years after his retirement, Stewart said she felt he did not get to enjoy the fruits of his labor, and she said that contributed to her decision to travel during the past year. She said, “I do understand saving for retirement is important, but I also want to enjoy my life and the money that I work for at this time, especially being in my 20s,” and she said her renewed focus is on paying off debt, saving and investing as she considers her financial future.
AP reported that some people use budgeting challenges—such as a no-buy year or a no-buy month—as a way to set boundaries on spending and direct money toward their financial goals.